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Genital warts and HPV

Information about the human papilloma virus (HPV) and genital warts - their symptoms, how they’re passed on and how they’re treated.

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Genital warts are caused by HPV. There are over 100 different types of HPV, some of which you can be vaccinated against. Warts are usually not painful and are not a serious threat to your health.

What are genital warts?

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Genital warts are small fleshy growths, bumps or skin changes anywhere on the genitals or around the anus or on the upper thighs. (You can see pictures of genital warts on a vagina, penis and anus at NHS Choices.)

If they’re in the anus, inside the vagina or on the cervix you may not know they’re there.

You may just have one wart or a cluster that can look like a cauliflower.

Warts can appear weeks, months or years after infection with HPV.

You may only get them once, although many people find they come back.

Symptoms of genital warts

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Genital warts are usually painless, but they can:

be uncomfortable and itch

become inflamed or bleed

change the normal flow of your pee

look unpleasant, which can be distressing.

If you don’t get warts treated, they may:

eventually go away

stay the same size

grow larger in size or number.

What is the link between HPV and cancer?

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HPV types 6 and 11 cause most cases of genital warts. They do not cause cancer of the cervix, vulva, anus or penis.

HPV types 16 and 18 can cause cell changes that may lead to cancer. They are linked to the majority of cervical cancer cases in the UK.

How HPV is passed on

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During sex, HPV is passed on:

when someone’s skin touches another person’s warts (which you won’t see if they’re inside the rectum or vagina)

through genital contact

sharing sex toys

(very rarely) through oral sex.

In extremely rare cases:

a mother can pass HPV to her baby during birth

someone can pass on HPV through warts on their hands, by touching someone’s genitals.

Sometimes the virus is passed on without any warts being present.

Using an external or internal condom cuts the risk of passing on HPV – but only if the condom covers the skin where the wart virus is.

Tests and treatment for genital warts

The sooner you get genital warts treated, the easier it is to get rid of them.

A doctor has to treat them and you can’t use treatments meant for warts that grow on the hands.

Warts are treated by:

putting on a special cream or acid, at a clinic or at home

freezing with liquid nitrogen

cutting with laser treatment or surgery under local anaesthetic in hard-to-treat cases.

It can take several treatments to get rid of warts and they might come back. Don’t have sex (oral, vaginal or anal) until treatment has finished or you could pass on the infection.

Regular testing

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The more people you have sex with (especially unprotected sex), the bigger your chance of getting infections like genital warts.

As you can have them without knowing, regular check-ups are a good idea. This is especially the case if you are starting a new relationship or want to stop using condoms with your partner.

Most people get tested and treated for infections such as warts at sexual health (or ‘GUM’) clinics. It is free and confidential, which means no one else, including your GP, will be know about your visit. Some GP surgeries also test for and treat these infections.

The HPV vaccine

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All girls aged 12-13 in the UK are offered the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Gardasil protects against:

HPV types 6 and 11m, which cause the majority of cases of genital warts.

HPV types 16 and 18, which cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and are linked to cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina and penis.

All boys aged 12-13 in England, Scotland and Wales will also get the vaccine – probably from September 2019. Health departments have agreed vaccinating boys is essential to increase HPV protection for all.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) can also get the vaccine at sexual health clinics, up to the age of 45.

Our HPV vaccine campaign

In July 2018, we won our campaign to make the HPV vaccine available to boys as well as girls.

We expect the vaccine to made available to boys in England, Wales and Scotland from September 2019.

Gay and bisexual men across Britain up to the age of 45 can access the HPV vaccine via sexual health clinics.